Public Employee Press

Election 2005
100% victory

By DIANE S. WILLIAMS

District Council 37’s Green Machine flexed its political muscle to re-elect Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg for a second four-year term in the general election Nov. 8.

“I am proud that District Council 37 was the first major union to endorse the mayor,” said Executive Director Lillian Roberts, who campaigned in all five boroughs on Election Day. “We supported the person, not the party label. Mayor Bloomberg has been willing to listen to and act on our proposals. I look forward to a continued productive working relationship with him.”

All seven candidates DC 37 backed won their races. The union played a major role in galvanizing voters to re-elect Bloomberg and Comptroller William Thompson, choose Sylvia Ash, a DC 37 Supervising Attorney, as Brooklyn Civil Court Judge, and put four new City Council members in office: Rosie Mendez, District 2; Dan Garodnick, District 4; Jimmy Vacca, District 13, and Darlene Mealy, District 41.

The union did not endorse any City Council incumbents, because they failed to nullify a recently adopted campaign finance rule that severely limits union participation and funding in political campaigns. “The rule marginalizes labor’s participation in the democratic process,” said DC 37 Political Director Wanda Williams.

In the weeks leading to Election Day, the DC 37 Political Action Dept. marshaled a corps of more than 1,000 volunteers, who made calls at the union’s phone banks, rose early to leaflet at subway and bus stops, and participated in a door-to-door outreach to Co-op City residents in the final push to get out the vote.

Bloomberg easily defeated his Democratic challenger by about 20 points, the largest margin of victory for a Republican mayoral candidate in New York City’s history. While some were initially critical, many members believe DC 37’s endorsement and successful campaign work will have a positive effect on the upcoming contract negotiations.

Four more for Mike
“When I reached out to the mayor, he responded to issues crucial to our members and to all New Yorkers such as affordable housing, day care, public health care funding, stopping waste in city government, and assigning civilian workers to civilian jobs at the Police Department and other uniformed agencies,” said Roberts.

Statewide, DC 37 supported and the voters ­approved a $2.9 billion bond act to fund transportation projects. The plan promises to create some 120,000 jobs and to provide money for New York City’s Second Avenue subway and a link between the Long Island Rail Road and Grand Central Terminal. A proposal that would have strengthened the Legislature’s hand in budget negotiations with the governor was defeated.

Over the next four years, Bloomberg will initiate new early-education and after-school programs, starting with a Brooklyn pilot that will include DC 37 families, and pursue the city’s largest low- and middle-income housing program ever, the construction of 165,000 units of low- and middle-income housing.

“I now look forward to even greater progress on these and other issues, including our upcoming contract negotiations,” Roberts said.

At his election night victory celebration, Bloomberg told a diverse group of supporters from labor, religious and community groups that crossed party lines, “The world knows New York is back in business.” He said he won because he put “human interests before political and special interests.”